The only reasons I can think of for players not to use flcd protected servers is-
1)They mod
2)Unable to use flcd, either its not compatiable with their system or they just don't understand how to set it up
3)Other clan mates / friends not being able to play, and so leaving to other non-flcd servers and taking players with them
4)A decrease in new players joining the server, how many people when playing FL for the 1st time online would go to a server where you have to dl something to play?. With a decrease in the amount of new players coming on to the server, and a server therefore being less busy, many regular players may leave to join more busy servers.

Think i've seen all these reasons on Jolt with the decrease in the amount of players we've had on there. Considering that flcd has put a stop to all the complaints of cheats, it would be dissapointing if many genuine players choose to ignore these servers just because of it.

Catch-22 question question Pinger.

Some of us Freelancer "purist" actually like FLCD because it does cut down on the cheating and make the game play like it was intended. BUT, we have a very strong contigient of modders out there who really do want to take her out for a spin modded.

I just think it's good our community has provided the means of having a choice.

Rob "Stinger" Lordier
Creator of the original Privateer FAQ
3+ years here and still lovin' every minute!
Favorite saying - Life is a journey, not a destination

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2)Unable to use flcd, either its not compatiable with their system or they just don't understand how to set it up

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Disagree to that: Punkbuster that is used in lots of FPS games, usually means having to actually read the Modem/Router manual on portforwarding and possibly enabling ICMP's. Also even just to play some games online that is still required. With FLCD enabled servers all you have to enable is one thing and that ICMP's.

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4)A decrease in new players joining the server, how many people when playing FL for the 1st time online would go to a server where you have to dl something to play?

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Again I disagree: I'm a pc gamer where every game I play online Needs to download maps/skins/updates regularly just to play online. Ok maybe true for those console gamers that moved to pc's, but still if they want to play online they have to have what it has installed.

So I've been watching the numbers drop off since May and since I started warning the server I might install FLCD, the numbers dropped by a third now with it installed and catching a few with it, they have taken there Friends with them.

So wondering what rest of the Freelancer players think.

Personally i dont like CD utilities because they are buggy. It is not uncommon for a CD utility to 'mis-read' a ini and say it is modified, i have also had extensive problems with a wide contingent of CD-augmented servers aying that i dont have the CD running client-side when i do. Not only that, but some non-CD-augmented servers are incompatible to connect to when you have the CD running.
Personally, i think a manned Server teminal running IFLSO 3.1 is much more effective than an automated Cheat detector in finding hackers, not to mention that some times people leave Mods on accidentaly, and the mod dosent really give them an advantage at all!

@Arania I've been running my server for a year now and disagree, IFSO See's the cheats that the 1.1 patch detects and any spawned equipment not the admin. What the admin spots is the mods that IFSO can't and also and the hex editing cheats.

But FLCD isn't a CD checker but it checks the Game installation files, if they are changed in anyway from an accepted Version of a number of variations then you are kicked, so making any change to a data folder ini results in a kick. If not then some mods do bypass the 1.1 patch detection and so are left to the quality of admin, If the said admin is active at the time and in visual range to spot them.

Ok there are trusted players that you hope you can take reliable reports of hackers/cheats from, but FL online politics with what it is, even if trusted you can't take those reports at face value. They still need verified unless there's enough proof - Good multiple Screen shots - a Fraps avi capture, this can't be beat as it catches the audio as well so you can Hear refire rate modders

Another reason that ppl might not use FLCD, simply cause they understand it as "Arania - The Emperor" and the same for me, FLCD is CD checker that even checks if u got original CD or cracked one, and not surprisengly many actualy understand it the same way, they simply got scared, I think another name for FLCD is a must.

Imagine newbie who finished SP and wana join his first freelancer server he sort them by pings (lets say he is from UK) he gets that "Jolt.co.uk -FLCD" is the best ping for him but there is this thing "FLCD" so he get scared and wont join the server due to "CD" letters on the server name, its even worse for hamburg server since they put "Hamburg...- FLCD req" wich means "Hamburg server Freelancer CD is requiered", and most ppl at the start wont check forums or bother with websites. they just use the next best ping/num-players server.

another reason (for vetrans) many do not like mods or addons and they like the usual clean version of FL, so when u put a program like FLCD wich is not official (it might be trojan who knows!) and you ask them to instal it. you just asking them to change there point of view and principle (never use mods or addons) and they need time to realize that FLCD is good program and make MP better.
and probably many of this kind of players just duel and play with there friends (they are sure there friends does not cheat) so they do not think FLCD or any kind of cheat detection is nessesary, and they just find regular server..

few say it makes them lag and leave the FLCD servers to other server (taking there friends/clan with them)

personaly I think FLCD is gr8 idea (just change the name FL"CD" )
I did not have time to test FLCD much but since instaling FLSDK makes you get kicked you join FLCD-servers, I think my FL is not staible like before and when I join battles I get jumpy (no lag) alot more than before.

if there a way to make FLCD works with FLSDK it will be gr8.





" Does Fraging PKs makes me any better! ? "

The last post seems to hint at a question I had regarding FLCD. That is what does it do when you have installed SDK in an attempt to stabilize FL. Since 'technically' this modifies the game files then FLCD should see it as modded and you would be rejected from the server. This would then be another potential downside to using it UNLESS the server uses it & FLCD accepts it from that POV.

It is hard to soar with eagles when you fly with turkeys.

As a sysadmin I have looked on FLCD with interest but have worried that players would not accept it, for whatever reason, as readily they say they would. So I decided to sit back and wait, relying on my Server Deputies as always while watching other servers.

I watched as certain servers started using FLCD. Their players online, as Pinger has pointed out, have gone down drastically. One server in particular, Jolt, has always been especially full around the British evening hours. Well since FLCD their players online have easily halfed.

Imagine my surprise when I noticed tonight that Jolt no longer has "FLCD" in the server's name so I assume they have removed the requirement for logging into their server. Players wanting less cheaters don't seem to want to make the effort to have "clean" (translate as FLCD-approved INI) installations as well. While some people as Doom suggests may think FLCD has something to do with FL's CDROM (it doesn't), Doom also suggests other people don't like client-side mods at all. I am one of those, I have never played on a client-side modded server as my server-sided modded server continues to entertain me. But I doubt we are that numerous. I suggest another reason, people want no cheating but they want to be "forced" into it (i.e. HAVE to make the effort), whether through non-availability (there are no servers WITHOUT FLCD), impossibility (code doesn't support cheating because all the real important stuff is server-side) or it's just too difficult to cheat (memory cheats have to replace encrypted information that is changing it's place in memory, difficult for memory editors to crack and track). Unfortunately the latter two solutions are code changes which required DA to do so we can probably rule that out. The former requires everyone on the bandwagon which would be nice but not probable as well.

I think modding is here to stay. Whether good like my server's server-side mod and a client-side mod like TNG or bad like cloak mod and speed mod on servers not allowing advantage mods, they are here to stay. I fight cheaters (players with bad mods) with communication between sysadmins and my own trusted sets of eyes on the server. It isn't perfect but nothing in life really is, it just has the appearance of perfection. Like FL.

EDIT: Hey! I'm a Flight Commander! Woohoo!
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Earendil
SysAdmin of Boston Freelancer server
See server rules and server news for more info.

Edited by - Earendil on 7/15/2004 6:45:28 AM

I'm admin of the [ 24/7 Eagle Utopia server and author of the FLAC software.

I've been running my server for over a year now with serverside mods, I've added a few systems which require the player to use a mod if they want to visit. The whole thing is modded on the server in such a way that players without this system mod can play there as well and even have the same chances as those with the system mod on.

I've been running this for over a year and works really well. Alot of regular players on my server still choose to not install the system mod, most of them simply dont want to download anything, they'd rather go to a different server if you try to push things on them. Another group are the kids who need parental permission to install software but simply wont get it. Then there's a group of players, by far the biggest, who dont bother to read server news/description and simply try to log on with or without mods.

I think the same applies to FLCD, most players wont even bother to read server descriptions and find themselfes disconnected after a minute or 2. Sure they might try again but ultimatelly they will move on to a sever that "works". Sure players will tell you they will install FLCD if you make this mandatory, but how many of your total players say they will? Last time I cleaned up empty and inactive accounts I still had over 8000 active accounts left, and only a handfull who will actually download software for use on the server.

I think the key problem of FLCD lies in the fact that it is not optional for users to install, if you dont have it, though luck. I think that if FLCD would allow players without the clientside software installed to play for a max of say 10 minutes (per account) and simply send them console messages that FLCD is required to keep playing, that more ppl actually will install. This will still cause you to lose players as some simply refuse to install anything, or are unable (parental control, computer inept -> ICMP whats that

Eagle has landed...

If i could get FLCD working without having to semi register it etc for people to search for it, then i would certainly be providing teh option. The reason why many many servers lose some people by installing FLCD is because, simply put, there are THAT many small time cheaters out there. I am not talking about those who have shields or stuff, just simple little ones like a fast cruise, quicker cruise time, revealed maps etc etc. The players who run those sorts of things really do mount up, and when they find out that they have to play properly, then they soon lose interest. I maybe wrong, but i have witnessed the vast amounts of small time cheaters around. It is, quite simply, possbile. There are many clans that use cheats to generate large amounts of cash which is then disperased between their members. They wouldn't be able to play at all! lol

So, I maybe wrong and cynical, but i would actually state around 10-15% of the population being lost as the cheaters being lost. I wonder how much more stable the servers are with it, or are they? FLCD removes the need for admins to be having a 'love hate' relationship with the server running. No mods at all - no money hacks, gun hacks, armor hacks, shield hacks, speed hacks, manouvreability etc etc etc....the list is endless. No trying to catch cheaters all day and night, you no longer have to pour over the server with startling dedication. It could be a godsend for admins, but then again, you only run it for players enjoyment, and if interaction between a server full of players is better than a server half full of 100% clean and honest players, then run without the thing - as Ioncross and the patch do a good enough job

As for the Q about the SDK - yes, it IS set to accept SDK installed files, as well as normal files. Also accepts SDK/ Vanilla with three semi colons before the video lines in the freelancer.ini fiel to cut out the vids on loadup. It can be made to accept other stuff, which means admins can set up special codes for their server police (ie, specific speed cheat just for them ) and stuf like that. Its adaptable, just a shame its the equivalent of having to "register" with the global server in order to run it!

I understand how good FLCD for FL servers, but does it worth all the trouble of getting the players used to it, untill someone find a way to hack/cheat it, and then we will go all over the same story again?


" Does Fraging PKs makes me any better! ? "

When I wanted to use FLCD i didnt know the f*** it actually worked, so bloody confusing...